Welcome to the group (or nuthouse).

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You could do much worse then to purchase an assembled loop PCB from Everett. I purchased a pair of his older boards and they've provided 2 or 3 (maybe 4) years of excellent service with zero problems.

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The real trick to mounting any PCB amp outside is to keep it dry. Everett's design runs warm enough so condensation probably wouldn't be a problem, but, to make sure, I used two pieces of Gortex repair tape, one inside, one outside on opposite sides of the same hole.

I sealed the case and I/O ports with silicon conformal seal. I used 1/4" copper tubing I filled with dry sane and formed around a 55 gallon container.

I'd hoped to rig an electronic steering similar to RDF used on marine ships, with, at best, very marginal results.

I suspect his Welbrook Clones might be the ultimate in practical performance.

At some point the internal noise of the amplifier/receiver is so far below the ambient RF noise floor that further improvement is gilding the lily.

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I too no longer enjoy the energy or movement capability of a young man, I'll be 73 at the end of the month, and, I'll be having my left knee totally replaced a few days before then. My right went fine but I lost all of June and August to mobility issues, so I'm cramming all my pre-winter preparation/testing in the next two weeks, this includes but isn't limited to testing coax, exterior coaxial cable connectors, ground connections, sealing of the amplifier cases, some weak signal far field signal tests, along with redoing our home from lessons learned in June after the first surgery.

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I could write pages on practical steps to reduce one's homegrown EMI (Electromagnetic Interference, AKA radio noise) but I won't.

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A shocking amount of the EMI that plagues our reception comes from devices within our own homes.

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Do your research, think about what you want to listen to, then make a decision and don't worry too much, it isn't life and death. I'm mainly interested in ELF~LF and totally uninterested in anything above 20MHz. Your interests will be different. The more time you spend thinking and jotting down notes, the better your search will go and the higher your eventual satisfaction.

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If there is a local ham radio club, don't hesitate to reach out to them. while their focus is on 2-way comms, most hams are more then willing to help a SWL.

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That's why I have a ham license with a pre-1974 Novice only callsign even though I hold an extra-class license. I've kept my first callsign because I'm obstinate and sentimental in equal measure. The ham who helped me with my first serious antenna conned me into taking the Novice exam.

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Thanks Mike;
It is a nice paper he wrote. I hope he is ok as his amateur license expired over a year ago.

Hello from France

Thanks to Steve and all the OMs of this Groups for this topic/wellbrook_traced_out_loop_amp thread, which is very interesting.

As always with Mouser and DigiKey, the transistors mentioned have several references

Due to these conditions, what are the optimal references to carry out the realization of this preamplifier?

Best Regards

Bernard

Also the adjustment will be less touchy, easier to set.

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